Got all that? Good. As the Thunder have neither paid the tax nor gone above the second apron yet, this means they are still four taxpaying seasons away from the repeater penalty and three second apron seasons away from seeing a first-round pick drop to No. 30 overall. This begs the question of when that cycle will actually start for them.

Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren brought the Oklahoma City Thunder a title this season, and now the team has secured its three stars for the long haul.

The Oklahoma City Thunder locked in an important piece to the franchise's future championship aspirations Wednesday, signing former Gonzaga standout Chet Holmgr

The Thunder made three lottery selections in the 2022 NBA Draft: Chet Holmgren at No. 2, Jalen Williams at No. 12 and, one pick before J-Dub, Ousmane Dieng at No. 11.

Alexander's contract extension sets up a complicated calculus the Thunder, the youngest roster in the NBA, must navigate.